Fireworks
by Laetus Fabricor
Summary: Fire, ash. A single moment. Quiet, shy and then loud and explosive. It was... surprising meeting her. The first person in this loud guild who willingly made an effort to talk to him. Maybe they would work well together? Gajeel x Gladiola (fem!Harry).
1. 1st Explosion

1st Moment:

Gladiola was cold. The magic that protected her from Dudley, and Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia somehow sent her to this place. She didn't know where she was and she was so scared. Why was it so cold?

All she could remember was that one moment, uncle Vernon had tried to hurt her… and the next she was here.

* * *

2nd Moment:

One moment she was sitting on the dirty floor, staring at the ground, the next a small hand landed on her shoulder. Immediately, she shuffled out of the way and stared at the hand's owner. A small old man looked at her with a worried gaze. "My name is Makarov, are you ok?"

* * *

3rd Moment:

After Makarov had been able to convince the child to get her inside and have a wash, he could finally see what the girl looked like under the dirt that caked her hair and skin. Dark hair and pale skin with a lightning scar was on her forehead hiding under wild hair.

He had found one of Laxus' shirts and given it to the girl as a dress to wear (he doubted the twelve year old would mind once he met the poor girl). "What's your name?"  
"G-gladiola…" she stuttered. He smiled at her kindly as he passed her some sandwiches.

"How old are you?"  
"F-five…"  
"Where are your parents?"  
"A-aunty and u-uncle told me they drank and died…"

The wizard saint's eyes narrowed. "Really?"  
"Y-yeah… they told me I owed them for taking me in…"

The aged man watched as she ate the food quickly and smiled kindly at her "Would you like to stay with me?"  
"... I-I don't want to be a bother…"  
"Not at all, dear."

* * *

4th Moment:

When Laxus met Gladiola, she was trying to hide behind his grandfather. She was small, frail and looked like a soft breeze could send her flying away. She was looked like she was trying to shrink in on herself and used her messy hair to shield herself from him.

"... Gladiola, right?"  
"Y-yeah…"  
"You into magic?"  
"M-magic?"  
"Yeah."

* * *

5th Moment:

She was taken in by Makarov and Laxus, the latter of which had lost both his parents (his father had left him). He kept dragging her places for some reason. It's not that she hated it but it was a bit scary. So many strangers but at least Laxus was around. Somehow, Laxus had made himself into her protector. Always making sure she was safe. Whenever she was scared, he was always patting her head and he would distract her with his progressing lightning magic. It was nice to have him around.

* * *

6th Moment:

When she called him brother for the first time, Laxus choked and thought his heart would stop. She was looking up at him with her head tilted to the side, seeming as if she were perfectly innocent. Regardless, it was one of the first times she had smiled at him, and it was a great feeling.

'Is this what it's like having a sister?"

* * *

7th Moment:

When Gladiola accidently tipped over a vase, causing it to smash to a million pieces, she began to freak out. She kept thinking about how Makarov would get rid of her, she had known she would not be able to stay with the old man and his grandson. Nothing was ever that lucky for her.

Soon, she couldn't breathe. She kept trying to even out her breathing but it wouldn't work. Her eyes began to sting, her chest hurt _so badly_ and she didn't know what was happening

"Help," she tried to say but instead it came out as a cross between a whimper and a sob. Then Laxus came into her line of sight and was trying to help her. He took her hand and slowly began to stroke it with his thumbs as she slowly began to take deep breaths.

Slowly, her gasps began to slowly melt into soft sobs and she immediately latched onto the trainee lightning mage.

* * *

8th Moment:

By the time Makarov got home, Laxus had already put Gladiola to bed and was in the middle of cleaning up the glass fragments.

"What happened?" his grandfather asked once he saw the pieces  
"Nothing much, I just knocked it over by accident… Sorry…" the blond mumbled. The older mage could tell his grandson was lying through his teeth. But decided to not speak against it. If he lied, then he obviously had a good reason. The blond wasn't known for lying.

"Maybe…" he heard his grandson begin… "Gladiola should go talk to someone about what happened before she joined us… It might help with her shyness."

* * *

9th Moment:

It wasn't long before Gladiola was introduced to the loudness of the Fairy tail guild. Her quiet demeanor was quickly noticed by the members, as was the way she hid behind Laxus a lot. Some had even come to calling her his shadow. It continued on for a little while, until Gladiola found the Fairy Tail Library.

It was quiet and warm and for the first time in her life she was able to learn without the Dursley's breathing over her shoulder and yelling when she did better than Dudley.

* * *

10th Moment:

It was a few months after her introduction to the guild, when one of the neighbourhood kids started teasing her. She detested it. She didn't want to tell Laxus and Grandfather what was going on, fearing she would be burden (despite what the two of them, and the doctor they had found that was helping her deal with what the Dursleys had done, told her).

So she took matters into her own hands. It was through the following incident that Fairy Tail realised that their little Gladiola wasn't as innocent as they thought she was.

It was a mid afternoon when an older woman walked in screaming bloody murder. Her son was at her heals and he seemed to be covered head to toe in goose feathers, ink, paint and some type of industrial grade glue. Both mother and child seemed to be blaming the small girl and before Laxus could start getting mad, the girl calmly stated "Maybe it wouldn't have happened if he just left me alone and wouldn't tease me so much…"

Makarov made her apologise and despite the light scolding he gave her for not telling him or Laxus about the teasing, he couldn't help but add "Well done for standing up for yourself though, Gladi. I'm proud of you despite the way you went about it."

* * *

11th Moment:

It was a later in the year when Gladiola finally had the confidence to talk to Cana, the only other child in her age range at the guild. They didn't necessarily become best friends because Cana was a bit too boisterous for Gladiola (and that spot would always be reserved for Laxus despite the seven year age gap), but it was nice to know that she was growing in confidence.

* * *

12th Moment:

It was a year later when Gladiola, who was now six, came to Makarov as he sat at the bar with Macao and Wakaba. The child had a large tone under her arm with a bookmark holding a page for her and he couldn't help but notice how much she had grown in the short time.

She looked so different to the small child he had found in that alleyway. She now had glasses and a red dress that brought her green eyes to life. She had gotten earrings too from Laxus and had declared she would never take them off, it had been six months since and she had made good on her promise. The girl had gained some weight in the year, thankfully, so she was no longer just skin and bone but the five years prior had not been good to her and would most likely result in as stunted growth regardless.

She was looking up at him with Laxus standing behind her, an annoyed look on his face. It was that one expression Laxus got when his sister (Makarov remembered when they first referred to each other as siblings in front of him, his heart almost melted) was doing something he didn't approve of. Makarov couldn't help but ask himself 'What is she planning?'. The guild master smiled at his, now two, grandchildren. "What is it, Gladi?" he inquired. Suddenly, the large tome was open and all but pressed up against his face.

"I want to learn magic," she told him "Specifically, explosive magic."

Leaning away from the tome, he took it from her hands and stared at the page she had chosen to display, with a stylistic explosion as the centerpiece of it.

It was at that point that Makarov knew, the property damage bills of Fairy Tail were only going to get higher. He couldn't help but be proud of her regardless.

* * *

 ** _TADA! I made something new! I love writing this! Laxus is an asshole in canon, yes. But in canon, it is also known that he was a nice kid. I don't plan to change the changes his personality that happen, but there will be some changes with the arcs. Any changes I will explain so don't worry._**

 ** _Gladiola's magic was specifically chosen because everytime i read an oc/xover work, the character has some kind of slayer magic or has crazy abilities that turn me off the fic immediately (I think I'm just unlucky), not to say they are bad, but slayey magic is rare, y'know. So I wanted Gladiola's strengths to focus not on her magic._**

 ** _Hope you enjoy it!_**


	2. 2nd Explosion

13th Moment:

Gladiola's first attempts at explosive magic didn't work out too well. The first time she tried, nothing happened. The second time she tried, she used too much magic. The resulting explosion had sent her flying and gave her a broken arm. It took a trip to Porlyusica and four weeks before Laxus and Makarov even thought about letting her try again.

She had to wait before Gildarts returned before her third attempt since his magic was similar to the type she wanted to learn. When the Crush mage talked to Makarov, the guild master told him the small girl was quiet, shy, all the things you would expect from an introverted six year old girl. But when he met her, he couldn't see much of that. It might have been because Laxus, who had apparently become an older brother to her from what Gildarts was told, was standing behind her or because she was just that determined to learn. _Nevertheless_ , he was more than happy to teach the smart girl.

It took a few more goes before she was able to make her first successful explosion. Thankfully, the last few attempts didn't result in injury as Gildarts was able to break them down. The explosion she made was relatively large and it didn't take long for her to start making them at a faster rate with little mistakes over the months.

* * *

14th Moment:

It was later in the month when Gray joined the guild. He was older than her by about two years, constantly unconsciously stripping and she avoided him like the plague. The ice-make mage wasn't sure as to why the small girl avoided him, but when he asked the older members, they said 'Nah, Gladi's just super shy. Might just be because you're new' they told him.

So one day, he followed Laxus, Gladiola and the guild master as the three went out into the woods. He watched as the two older mages supervised the girl as she used magic to make explosion after explosion. 'Is she learning magic?' he asked himself. At first he thought she wasn't doing well at all until the elderly man asked "Can you try and make them smaller, Gladi?"  
"Umm… I think so…" she told them, before attempting to use less magic as she made the explosions smaller and smaller, bit by bit.

"I don't like her learning Explosive Magic," he heard Laxus say, 'So the explosions were on purpose?' Gray asked himself.  
"It's her choice, Laxus."  
"But still, she's already broken her arm learning it…" the blond grumbled  
"I know, but all we can do is support her as we do now."

The lightning mage sighed and went over to her and patted her on the shoulder. "Remember what Gildarts said before he left. Instead of just using less magic, try to compress the orb more," he reminded her. At that Gray, shuffled out of the bush he was in and walked back to the guild.

* * *

15th Moments:

It was a week later when Gray finally went up to the younger girl. "I'm Gray, ice-make mage." he introduced (apparently simple introductions scared her the least…). Pausing, she looked up at him before she said "I'm Gladiola… I'm learning explosive magic."

He sat down beside her quietly as he asked "How is it going?"  
"I don't know… Gildarts said I was doing well before he left, a-and Laxus always says I am as well… but I-I think he's a little bias because he's my big brother…" she explained.

"Big brother?"  
"Yeah… Grampa took me in last year. They are incredibly kind to me."

Somehow, Gray was able to become the skittish girl's friend.

* * *

16th Moment:

Slowly but surely Gladiola got better. By the end of the next year, she was able to make explosions at a faster rate and in spars with Laxus. But she was getting restless. She felt Laxs was going easy on her due to their closeness, so she went to Gray.

With permission from Makarov and supervision from Gildarts once he finally returned, the two sparred. The two immediately went at each other at high speeds. Gray threw ice shaped weapons in an attempt to slow her down, but small orbs of yellow glowing orbs appeared ahead of her once she threw a hand up and created a magic seal. In seconds each one exploded and shattered the ice into pieces.

Making a seal under her foot, she created an explosion that propelled her forward at him with a punch aimed at his face. "That's new," Laxus commented "When did she learn it?"  
"I think she learnt just now… Some people learn best in combat," Makarov told him.  
"Are you suggesting that I shouldn't have gone easier on her?"  
"No, she probably wouldn't have been able to do it even if you did press her more. Gladiola sees you as her own blood. She wouldn't have thought you would hurt her even if something happened as you have more practice. Gray isn't as practiced as you are," his grandfather explained as Gladiola set off another explosion which Gray protected himself from with an ice shield.

* * *

17th Moment:

By the end of it all, the two children were covered in bruises and bandages as they ate in the guild hall. "Your magic is really cool Gray…" she mumbled. He looked up from his food and saw her eating and looking down at her food. "So is your's…"  
"I thought so at first… but all I can make are explosions…"  
"So? It's still cool. You should master the basics before you go crazy."

* * *

18th Moment:

Two years went by when another child joined the guild. Her name was Erza, she had red hair. Laxus couldn't help but think she was similar to Gladiola, the person she had been when he first met his sister. But Erza wasn't as shy, just quiet and rule oriented. His sister confessed to him that the red haired girl scared her (a lot more than Gray initially had).

Gladiola's mastery over her magic grew a lot more. She was slowly getting more and more aggravated as time went on due to the lack of learning new spells. Experimenting with caster type magic was already dangerous but with explosive magic so much could go wrong and she could lose an arm with one wrong move.

Laxus disliked Erza straight away. Whenever Gladiola tried to speak with her the new member would simply walk away and his sister would become discouraged again. And that wasn't even beginning to mention her holier-than-thou attitude towards the other guild members.

* * *

19th Moment:

Another year went by before he knew and she was getting even more restless. He was becoming less and less worried about Gladiola as time went on. Despite the lack of variety in her magic, his sister began to focus more on strategic thinking. He was proud. At first it was terrifying watching her waste away on spells that she wasn't going to be able to do because her magic wasn't as varied.

Sometimes the two would wake up early in the morning and just sit as he listened to music and his sister would play chess against herself in an attempt to challenge herself.

One morning Makarov walked in and couldn't help but smile. His two grandchildren were growing up.

* * *

20th Moment:

A year later Makarov walked in with a pink haired boy that was louder than Cana. He immediately disliked Gray (possibly due to their opposing magic types?) and he immediately got obsessed with sparring with Gladiola for some reason, thankfully Laxus had been able to keep the bright child at bay. She was honestly contemplating just sparring with him so he would leave him alone.

"Hey Gladiola!" he greeted at the top of her lungs causing her to nearly drop the book she was reading one day from the sheer volume of his voice. "Today is your ninth birthday right?" he asked when she turned to look at him, his arms holding something behind himself. "Y-yeah…" she replied

Pulling a cake slice from behind his back, he exclaimed 'Happy birthday!' with a smile on his face. She couldn't help but smile in return. "Thank you," she said softly, taking the slice from him.

Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

21st Moment:

She went on her first real mission with Laxus when she was 11. Prior to that she just stayed within the city and would help him where she could, as Makarov wouldn't let her out of the city limits without a chaperone (and everyone was too scared of Laxus to let her tag along).

Her first enemy was a Gorian type vulcan. The green furred animal had attempted to take over Laxus who had been distracted by some other Gorians. When he threw the two away using his magic, he heard a large _boom_ from behind him and a strong gale go passed. Turning his head, he saw a Gorian lying on the ground, covered in burns and bruises. Gladiola was to the side with her arms extended, obviously she had been the source of the explosion and he couldn't keep the pride from growing within his chest.

He'd make a fairy tail mage out of her yet.

* * *

22nd Moment:

She went on a few more missions with her brother after the Gorian incident. Each one progressively further than the guild. Soon she was going on missions alone, causing explosions as she went. Through her magic she had gained the name 'Gladiola of The Explode' by the age of 14 and her brother and grandfather couldn't be more proud.

* * *

23rd Moment:

Years went by and Gladiola got better at strategic thinking. So many more kids joined as time went on. By the time she was fifteen, the Strauss siblings had joined (Lisanna had died the year prior), Levy McGarden, Bisca and Alzak joined. So many new faces. Laxus got more and more antisocial, choosing to focus on his Thunder God Tribe.

When she heard that Natsu was going off in an attempt to find his father… She couldn't help but go to her grandfather and Laxus and ask for permission to go and find out more about explosive magic. It was an understatement when she said that Laxus had not taken it well.

"Gladiola I thought you got over this obsession!" he roared.  
"Laxus it's _not_ an obsession! This is my magic, it's who I am. I want to learn more about it! You are my family, you and grandpa are everything to me and I can't exactly protect you with a few meaningless explosions!" she cried  
"They aren't meaningless Gladi!"  
" _Yes,_ they are!" she screamed, tears falling down her face.  
"Talk some sense into her!" he yelled looking at his grandfather.

The old man looked from his grandson to his granddaughter. "Are you sure?"  
"Yes" she said, absolutely sure  
" _No_ ," Laxus said, pleading to his grandfather.  
"Laxus… I can't hold her back. Not after I just let Natsu go."  
"Natsu isn't Gladi," the lightning mage said.

Then, a small hand gripped onto his. Looking to the side, he saw Gladiola holding onto it, like she had done all those years ago as a child. He could remember when she was so small and he would protect her from everything. Sighing, he asked "Why did you have to grow up?"

With a melancholic smile, she answered "Time stops for no man, big brother."

* * *

24th Moment:

When she had first started packing Makarov walked into her room with an ornate box in his hands. He instructed her to sit with him as he passed the box over to her with a sad smile. Opening it up, she saw the lacrima-made chunky beaded necklace with a single magatama at the center in the box. Similar beaded bracelets were placed delicately on either side of the necklace and she couldn't help but have her breath taken away.

"How much did these cost?" she asked him

"It's not that important, my dear," he brushed off "I was originally planning to give these to you later as I thought you wouldn't start wanting to learn more magic at this time. Gladi my dear, your magic is volatile in small amounts, so I thought these would help you deal with them by storing some of it in these beads…"

"Thank you" she breathed "Thank you so much!"

"Gladiola, I remember when you were that little girl I picked up from an alleyway. You were scared of your own shadow. And you latched onto Laxus immediately, which is something I never expected. The day you came to me with your hopes of learning explosive magic, was the day I realised just how strong you are. You are my granddaughter even if not by blood. Never forget that I am proud of you. Especially of how much you have grown. So I won't keep you here, learn what you can my dear. Just come home one day," he said, hoping his voice would convey the pride he held within his heart.

A tearful hug was his answer and, honestly, it said the most.

* * *

25th Moment:

A week later, Gladiola finally got a got a guildmark on her left forearm after putting it off for so long. A large bag was slung over her shoulder as she walked toward the entrance with Laxus, attempting to assure him that she would be fine.

"You've got everything?"  
"Yes,"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes,"  
"You have your tomes and notebooks?"  
" _Yes_ , Laxus,"  
"You're gonna call once a week?"  
"Once every two weeks, using the lacrima excessively with my magic could cause it to explode," she told him, pulling out compact communication lacrima he had given her.

Pausing at the gate, she smiled at him and said "You remember these?" she asked, pointing at the teardrop earrings she wore. "Yeah, I gave those to you, you said you'd never take it off," he replied as she reached for the left earring and its safety back. "Nine and a half years I've worn these," she said, placing the earring she had removed in his palm "So I expect that one back when I come home, okay?"

"Yeah."

* * *

 _ **So you may be thinking, isn't Laxus a bit overprotective? But you have to understand that, as Gladiola's closest confidant, he definitely knows about her childhood. And as her older brother, Laxus has made himself into her protector. Thus, he never wants her to relive the levels of fear he remembers from her panic attack in the 7th moment. I apologise if I didn't portray the panic attack accurately, I would have asked someone, but I didn't want to put them on the spot or make them uncomfortable at all.**_


	3. 3rd Explosion

26th Moment:

Gladiola was lost.

She was somewhere in Crocus, that was something she knew for sure. The beautiful capital city was bustling with people. As the largest city with the largest library, theoretically, she was much more likely to find a tome on explosive magic than any other city. She had tried to ask for directions from people but they just got her even more lost.

Turning a corner, she walked straight into a much taller man. Mumbling apologies, she rubbed her nose as she looked up and immediately paused when she saw his face. "I-iron Rock Jura…" she mumbled in awe.

"Ahh, Gladiola of The Explode. I did not expect to meet a Fairy Tail mage to Crocus?" he asked.

She stared blankly for a moment in shock before stuttering out "O-oh! I need to go to go the library! I… want to study more about my magic…" she told him  
"I see,"  
"And you?"  
"I'm here on a mission for my time. It is a pleasure to meet you, but I must be going," he replied before beginning to walk away.

It was at that point that Gladi decided to do something stupid.

"Um! Could you point me in the direction of the library? Everyone I have asked just keeps confusing me…" she admitted. The taller man smiled, before easily giving her the directions. They were simple and used obvious landmarks instead of obscure street names and stores, which was the kind of information she received prior.

"Thank you so much!" she exclaimed with a smile.

"It's not a problem, I hope we can meet again," he said, before walking off.

* * *

27th Moment:

She had all but camped out in the library. For four days she combed through the caster type magic section. Flipping through various books in an attempt to find a shred of information on explosive magic. All the information she did find was merely things she already knew, and thus useless. Any attempts to find the authors of the books resulted with a dead end as most were either deceased or knew nothing more than she did.

By day five she accepted that the library would be no help, which led to her departure from Crocus.

* * *

28th Moment:

It was six months later, when she was staying in a small fishing town, when she heard of the Igamba tribe. A tribe of mages who didn't like outsiders but we're knowledgeable in old magics. It was probably another dead end, but she didn't really have much to lose. Grabbing her bag, she ran to the place she was told to have been their home.

It was a large settlement, all things considered. The people seemed happy and cheerful, content in their simple lives. The beauty of this settlement easily outdid that of Crocus.

Shuffling through the tribe, she attempted to ignore the eyes fixed on her. She suddenly came to a halt when a spear was pointed in her face.

"I wish to speak to the chief, she said, the 'please' unspoken. The spear and it's wielder shifted. Circling her with his spear, he pushed her forward with the tip of the blade toward the large hut at the top of the village.

'What have I gotten myself into?' she couldn't help but ask herself.

* * *

29th Moment:

The chief was an old man with an easy smile and he quickly began to remind her of her grandfather. He loved his people and once she began to talk about her magic he was quickly intrigued. 'I remember a man who passed through with similar abilities' he told her, giving her a book he had been given.

While not necessarily a gold mine, it was the first step to learning more of the magic. And what a step it was!

The chief was willing to let her use the tome as long as she stayed in the tribe as she learnt, which she agreed to. Yet, her first response after leaving the old man was to call her brother.

* * *

30th Moment:

" _So you found something?"  
_ " _Yup! It's the first true spell, outside of the basics, that I am going to learn! Laxus, this spell is groundbreaking! I could make more techniques with this single spell!"  
_ " _Congratulations. How long do you think it will take to learn. About a month or two to learn the spell simply, and then another month to master it. I want to get it perfect so I can begin to mix it into my style."  
_ " _Good luck,"  
_ " _Thank you brother, so how have things been going there?"_

* * *

31st Moment:

This new technique refused to be nice to her. When she wished to practice, she and the chief would go to a clearing in the nearby woods and she would just make spell after spell none of them had the explosive level she was looking for. They were all _far_ too weak.

It had been two weeks since she started and there was barely any progress. By thine she decided to take a break for the day, she was all but pulling her hair out. The old man had yet to say anything the entire time until he told her "Maybe you are going about it wrong?"

"What?"

"How do you make your orbs?"

Slowly a large grin grew onto her face and she yelled "Uncle, you are a genius!" as she jumped to her feet and raced back to the clearing. When she made her orbs, Gladiola used a simple, time saving mechanic. Use volatile magic and compress it until it exploded. But this new spell required more finesse. Instead of physically compressing the magic in the form of an orb herself, she needed compression to be in the magic directive itself.

It didn't take long before she was able to take long for her to get it after she realised this. It didn't take more than another month for her to master it enough so it could be used in combat.

* * *

32nd Moment:

There wasn't much else in the journal the chief had after that one spell. Apparently the original mage had used it as a basic spell and the fundamental for many of their later techniques. Thus the time for her to bid farewell to the tribe came and it was on that day that she realised that the Igamba are as boisterous as fairy tail mages.

* * *

33rd Moment:

She was travelling again. This time, she was having Laxus pick out jobs from the guild for her so she could make some money on the side during her travels. They had a good system going for them.

She hadn't picked up any other new spells by the time she had to return to the guild, but she had new techniques and tactics so it wasn't an entire bummer (she just hoped that her grandfather didn't tell Laxus that she nearly got arrested for property damage on one job)!

* * *

34th Moment:

Lucy looked away from the rising tension between Laxus and Erza. She hadn't been expecting this kind of infighting (just the normal, drunken kind), but this was getting scary. When the man finally walked away, things slowly went back to normal and the celestial spirit mage went to sit back down.

"He can get away with that?" she couldn't help but ask Mira. The waitress smiled sadly, "Laxus…" she began "In his own way he's worried…"

"It didn't seem like he was worried about the guild…" the blond grumbled. Cana, who was sitting beside her, merely laughed. "He isn't worried about the guild. He's worried about Gladi, his sister," the card mage explained between chuckles.

"Gladi?"

"Uhuh, Gladiola of The Explode. Master adopted her when she was a child and she latched onto Laxus. The guy basically became her bodyguard. Did _not_ approve of her learning Explosive magic, at all. I can understand why, the girl looked like the wind itself could send her flying when she was six. Still does. But the problem is, in ten years, the only thing Gladiola was able to master was the basics of her magic. Since it's so dangerous, there are few books on it and even fewer people who learnt it for her to study from. Laxus feels like it's our fault she left to travel; he thinks that if we just helped her more instead of standing to the side, she wouldn't have _had_ to," Macao explained to her as he sat down "Maybe, he's right. Maybe we should have helped, but what Laxus doesn't understand is that you can't change the past. But, _boy_ , can that kid hold a grudge…"

* * *

35th Moment:

The guild went to war.

Team Shadowgear was attacked, Makarov had lost his magic and nothing was going well. They had barely gotten Lucy back but Makarov was still in a dangerous condition even though they had gotten him to Porlyusica.

Mira placed a communication lacrima on the table, the one the guild master kept under the bar so he could call Gladi. And just when she was about to pour magic in, the door opened and a voice said "What _happened_ here?"

* * *

 _ **Tada! I got 3 chapters done today. 5th Explosion is giving me a bit of trouble, because I have a bunch of ideas as to where the story could branch out. I don't even know... may take me a while to figure out. I think I'll post 4th Explosion today or tomorrow, still not sure.**_


	4. 4th Explosion

**36th Moment:**

When Lucy heard the voice, her head shot up and she saw someone she hadn't met before. She had short black hair and green eyes behind black glasses. She had a sleeveless trench coat that was red at that the top and faded into white and white capris. Over her coat she wore a red sleeveless kimono top that was held together with an golden obi and a yellow scarf tied in place over it.

But what drew her attention was the fairy tail guild mark on her forearm.

"Gladiola!" they exclaimed.

* * *

 **37th Moment:**

It was through teary eyes that Lucy finally met the Gladiola that she had heard so much about. When Gray told the explosive mage about the situation and the girl pulled her into a hug and merely said "Welcome to the family. We _are_ going to protect you."

Lucy watched on as she pulled away and Gladiola pulled her compact communication and pulsed her magic into it. After a few moments, Laxus picked up. "Gladiola? You're calling early, are you alright?"

'Is that… concern in Laxus' voice?' Lucy asked herself  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I heard someone attacked Fairy Tail. I came to see if everything was alright but… big brother, Grandfather is in a serious condition."  
"Glad-"  
"I know you don't like working with Erza… or Mira, or Natsu and you barely tolerate Gray 'cus we're friends and everyone is just like white noise for you," she began to say in a hurried pace "But I _need_ your help! Grandfather took me in, I can't protect everything he loves without your help. Please."

Lucy watched as the other blond looked at her and sighed. "I'm on my way."

Suddenly the ground began to shift.

"Gladi!" Laxus yelled through the Lacrima once he heard his sister scream, only for the device to smash on the ground after she dropped it.

* * *

 **38th Moment:**

Everybody ran out of the building and stared at the giant Phantom Lord guild hall that made its way toward them. After a few moments, a canon began to come out of the building and then it glowed. "It's a magic convergent canon! Is he _trying_ to destroy the city?!" Gladiola exclaimed  
"Everyone! Get down!" Erza ordered as she ran out and requiped adamantine armour on in an attempt to fend off the magic cannon.

But just as the magic was about to hit her, a large glowing orb appeared ahead of her and exploded, sending a gale force wind throughout the area but protected the guild and Erza. Turning, they all saw Gladiola standing with her arm extended and a golden magic seal at her hand.

"You don't stand a chance," Porla began, only to pause when he saw Erza and the guild were still standing.

"You insignificant insects! We will fire an even bigger and stronger Jupiter! Now struggle for 15 minutes in terror until it's reloaded!"

* * *

 **39th Moment** :

Gladiola quickly took charge with her quiet voice as Jose's . "Everybody, get everything ready. Teams Necrom, Luzis and Vena, you'll be taking up the rear. Any other defensive mages will be joining them. Natsu, Gray, Erza and Elfman, you will be at the front and will go straight into enemy lines, let's ruin their canon. Everybody else, will be acting as a distraction. Do what you do best, cause mayhem. Lucy, you'll be with me."  
"Yosh!"

As everyone else ran and started attacking the shade, Erza walked up to her and said "Master put me in charge,"  
"I'm sorry," Gladiola glared "But even if he did, I _trusted_ my family in your care. Unfortunately, I was wrong. A guild hall is just a building, the people is what makes the guild. Throwing yourself in front of the cannon when you know my magic could have countered it, didn't help anyone Erza."  
"You're magic is uncontrollable,"  
" _No_ , it isn't! And even if it was, it's been a year since you saw me. We are meant to be family, trust me for goodness sake!"

* * *

 **40th Moment:**

The second Gladiola's back was turned, she lost Lucy.

Then Natsu succeeded in breaking the jupiter and when things _finally_ started going well, Phantom Lord's guild hall got larger and started making abyss break.

"WE HAVE 10 MINUTES EVERYBODY!" Gladiola roared.

* * *

 **41st Moment:**

A magic seal formed under her black boots and Gladiola sent herself flying with a well done explosion. Using various other explosions, she propelled herself forward through the air and smashed through the a window as Elfman saved Mirajane and the speed at which abyss break was slowing down.

Pausing in a moment, as she came across Gray she instructed for him to go for the two remaining members of the Element Four. After continuing, she came across Erza and told her to try and find Lucy. "Who was the one that hurt my grandfather?"  
"Aria of the Heavens…"  
"He's mine!"

* * *

 **42nd Moment:**

She came across the mage that had harmed her grandfather as he was attacking Natsu. A Small explosion, put a line of seals in front of Natsu and they suddenly exploded as Aria's **Zetsu** attack collided with them. "Gladiola!" he exclaimed in shock.  
"Hey kiddo… Lucy ran off… I think you'd have better luck finding her with Erza. Is he the one that hurt Grandfather?"  
"Y-yeah…"  
"I see. You'd best be off, Natsu."  
"Right!" he affirmed before shooting off to find Lucy.

Assuming that Gray dealt with the water mage, Gladiola had at least ten minutes to defeat this mage at the rate it was going. "I am Ari-" the airspace mage began before a _boom_ sent the girl flying towards him, then she disappeared.

Turning over his shoulder, he saw her above him and aiming a kick at his face that was strengthened with an explosion that propelled her foot forward. Shooting away, she landed in a crouch away from him as a glowing seal was formed under her hand. Raising an open palm at her, he activated Zetsu once more only for her to raise her own hands and counter the air balls with her own explosive orbs.

"Allow me to introduce myself to you Aria. I am Gladiola of The Explode. I am a Fairy Tail mage, and you harmed my grandfather. I am here for payback, and I will get it. I have some new techniques, you know. This is the first time I've used it in combat. I call it **ECHO**!"

A glowing seal appeared on the growing bruise on his face that she had kicked. In the blink of an eye, an explosion from it sent him flying. " **Pinball**!" she roared, and various explosions threw him around like a ragdoll.

Raising a palm, he activated **Zetsu** again, "Stop being a one trick pony!" she yelled, unaware of the air balls that formed behind her. One hit her straight in the back and sent her straight to the ground. "As you wish," he complied, pulling off his blindfold. He lifted his hands, the right one on top and the lower down, with their palms facing the girl who slowly got to her feet despite the screaming pain in her spine.

" **Zero**!" he announced, as air began to spin around his airspace. Sending his magic forward, he began to suck the air out of her arms. Her arms began to go red and cracks were heard from her bones. Her mouth opened in a futile endeavor to scream but not a sound came out.

As the cracks continued, he couldn't help but say "Sometimes, the loudest screams are the ones you can't hear. Isn't it sorrowful?"

* * *

 **43rd Moment:**

By the time Laxus arrived at the location where he last sensed Gladiola's magic, the girl was crying and writhing as Aria mockingly spoke over her body that lay on the floor. Shooting forward with his lightning magic, he punched the man and sent him flying. Laxus walked toward his sister as Aria tried to get to his feet. "Gladi…" he mumbled. Stroking a hand through her dark hair, he watched as she fell into unconsciousness. Removing the two heavy beaded bracelets she wore, he felt them resonate with her magic.

Forcing his own magic inside, the beads glowed and began to vibrate. Tossing them into the air, they began to hover. "I always wanted to try this… She always said it was too dangerous… At least this way, she can still help kick your ass!" Laxus roared

" **Explosive Lightning Ring**!" he cried

* * *

 **44th Moment:**

Fairy Tail mages outside in the battle stopped, staring as a tower of lightning shot from it skyward and through the giant robots ceiling. Fairy Tail mages outside in the battle stopped, staring as the tower exploded. For a second it was silent, the the winds forced them all to their knees and they all felt the combination of Laxus and Gladiola's magics. 'Was that their true power?' they all thought.

* * *

 **45th Moment:**

Then Makarov showed up. After all of it, the old man had dealt with it easily with **fairy law**. The man was so distracted by what was happening, that he didn't even realise that his granddaughter was in so much pain. Picking his sister up, Laxus walked her out of the Phantom Lord guild building to Porlyusica's.

* * *

 **46th Moment:**

"What did Porlyusica say?" he asked  
"She fixed my arms up…"  
"But?"  
"But what Aria did… he deadened most of the sensory nerves in my arms, Lax!" she sobbed "I c-can't get th-them to s-stop shaking!"

Pulling her into a hug, he just let her cry. So much similar to that day ten years ago with the vase. He just stroked her hair and let her cry.

* * *

 **47th Moment:**

Fairy Tail's mage stared quietly as Laxus raged at the guild master, all pausing in their work to rebuild the guild hall.

"How couldn't you have noticed, old man?!"  
"Laxus…"  
"She's your granddaughter! _My_ sister! And apparently everybody else's injuries, injuries that weren't as serious, garnered more of your attention!"  
"She will heal Laxus,"  
"Do you even know the extent of damage Aria did to her? Do you?! She will _never_ gain full feeling in her arms! They will _never_ stop shaking! Yet a simple sprain is more important!"  
"Brother!" she exclaimed from her position behind him "The past is unchangeable. Yesterday is gone."

"We must move on, we cannot do more…"

Turning to the other guild members, she said "Quit standing around, we have work to do."

* * *

 ** _On an honest note, I quite like Erza. In fact, I find her kind of cool. I just wanted to convey in this, is the fact that she's to focused on rules and taking everything on herself, which Gladiola brings up and is not something Fairy Tail preaches. Similarly, Makarov is the guild master. So unless someone told him (which is unlikely since the only one who knew aside from Gladi is Laxus), he most likely didn't know about what happened until the 47th moment. Poor guy has so much work to do, he probably doesn't realise all this, including the_ reason _behind why Laxus became an ass._**

 ** _Therefore, I have nothing against the two people. If anything, I admire them. But this needs to be brought to light._**

 ** _(I'm putting Gladiola through hell with what happened)_**

 ** _In terms of Gladiola's new 'spells', they aren't. They are all generally the same spell just used in different ways. The technique she learnt with the Igamba tribe is seals based. Instead of just using simple orbs, she uses seals to make them more precise in terms of accuracy. So technically, she only learnt one spell, she just uses them in different ways._**

 **Echo _: uses the seals to create an explosion in the last place Gladiola has had physical contact with._**

 **Pinball _:_ _uses the seals to create delibrately chosen places to send the target flying like a pinball. Like the name suggests._**

 ** _Thank you for all the people that now follow and favourite the story! I would love to hear your opinions on what I've done with this, I'm having so much fun writing this!_**


	5. 5th Explosion

**48th Moment:**

Laxus left soon after on a job with his Thunder God tribe. She spent most days hiding out in the apartment she shared with her brother, and other days she'd grab any available monster eradication quests or dark guild hunting quests. She'd taken to wrapping her arms up in bandages in an attempt to hide the dark blotches that her popped veins and arteries had left behind even after they had been healed.

* * *

 **49th Moment:**

Rifling through her bag, she crouched over it in the deep recesses of an aging forest. Pulling out a small bottle and held it in her shaky hands. After failing to open it with both hands, she popped it open with her teeth and swallowed a pill dry. After a few moments the tingling pain in her hands began to die down and the shaking got weaker.

Sighing, she tossed the bottle back into the bag. They were relatively weak, made of herbs and leaves and non addictive, thank Mavis. The woman had acknowledged the damage done to Gladiola and said unless she found a miracle level healer, Gladiola would have to be on the pain killers for the rest of her life.

* * *

 **50th Moment:**

The pain was agonising. She was angry and raw and every little thing seemed to be setting her off and the dark guilds she hunted learnt that first hand.

* * *

 **51st Moment:**

Their base was in the middle of a forest, the roots and ivy from nearby trees were growing around the decrepit building. Pausing at the top of the steps leading down into the hall, she raised a hand and placed a seal on the door. Snapping her fingers, she felt a gail go by as an explosion went off and sent the door flying inward.

Walking down the stairs, she walked inside and raised both hands with the palms open and her hands on either side of her head. Orbs formed all around the building as Paradiso members pulled out their weapons.

"Repent"

* * *

 **52nd Moment:**

The resulting explosion made Sorcerer's Weekly and Gladiola ended up featured on the cover with a picture she wasn't even aware was taken.

* * *

 **53rd Moment:**

By the time she got back, the new Fairy Tail building was complete. It was _unnecessarily_ large, with a pool and fan merchandise. Like, why would they need fan merch? Plus, they could have _asked_ before they made a figurine of her (at least they were smart enough to not have an option to remove the figurines clothes like Lucy's did. If Laxus didn't kill them, she would have).

Going inside, she walked up to the guild quest book and signed off her quest and greeted her grandfather before grabbing a bottle of water from the bar. All the tables were full except for one that a new member had sat himself down.

Passing Jet and Droy, she dropped her bag to the floor and sat down in front of the man despite their complaints. "Gladi, he's Phantom Lord?"  
"So what?" she asked over her shoulder.

"You're not getting points by being buddy-buddy with me," the new mage grumbled  
"I'm not trying to. This was the emptiest table and I needed some space," she told him casually, downing one of her pain killers.

* * *

 **54th Moment:**

"I'm Gladiola."  
"Gajeel Redfox."  
"What kind of mage are you? I'm an explosive mage."  
"Iron dragon slayer."

* * *

 **55th Moment:**

A week later, Gajeel was on a quest with her and he only realised on the train to Crocus that he'd somehow been swindled into doing a job with her.

* * *

 **56th Moment:**

"H-how'd you do it?" he asked through the pain of his swirling stomach  
"Neural linguistic programming. It's amazing what you can do with the power of suggestion and a few strategic pats on the arm," she explained "Are you ok? I didn't think motion sickness was a thing that all dragon slayers suffered from… I thought it was just one of Natsu's quirks…"

"I can knock you out if you like!" she said with an oddly enthusiastic smile and an explosive mana ball next to her head. "I'm _fine_ ," he bit out, leaning away from the mage.

"Whatever you say."

* * *

 **57th Moment:**

'So when she says explosive magic, she _means_ explosive magic' Gajeel couldn't help but think once he saw her use an explosion to start seismic shocks as a distraction. It was exhilarating! It was loud and bright and the colours filled his eyes. It was euphoria.

It was like watching deadly fireworks.

* * *

 **58th Moment:**

When the two returned to the guild, the first thing the new, glorified, Team Natsu did was dispute Gajeel joining the guild. She could understand why, he _had_ attacked the guild and he _had_ attacked team Shadowgear. Erza was willing to put her differences aside because Makarov allowed him in, and Natsu just ignored Gajeel's presence.

That is until the iron dragon slayer all but crushed the pink-haired mage's foot.

He poked Gladiola in the side before he did it, getting her attention away from Mirajane's singing. Tilting his head toward Natsu, she giggled at the insinuating argument. Before she knew it a brawl broke out.

It was good to be home.

* * *

 **59th Moment:**

It didn't take long for Gladiola and Gajeel to become a duo.

* * *

 **60th Moment:**

Gladiola didn't think that the last good memory she would have of Laxus after becoming friends with Gajeel was when he protected her from Aria.

* * *

 **61st Moment:**

It didn't take long for things to steamroll into the Magnolia Harvest Festival. She spent the entire time hiding out in Gray's apartment during the preparations. She refused to participate in most things since getting her medication. The two barely talked every since the guild war.

His friend had become a shadow of herself.

And being friends with Gajeel probably didn't help at all. He was too loud and brash for the girl he grew up with. Yet every time he saw her, she was around the new dragon slayer. So much so, that the two actually made an official team: 'Inferno'. Named to counteract 'Paradiso', the ironically named dark guild they had hunted together the first time.

* * *

 **62nd Moment:**

"Gladi, he's not safe,"  
"He's the only one that knows about my injuries and doesn't treat me like a porcelain doll!"  
"Gladi-"  
"Gray… Grandfather wouldn't even let me take a job without another member going with me! I had to sneak jobs by saying Laxus was going to meet me up and go on the job with me! I'm a mage, Mavis dammit!"

"So what if he isn't safe! No one is! The world is _not_ a happy place despite what people want to believe Gray! Gajeel gives me a chance to remember when everything was ok!"  
"Do you like him?"  
"Not like you think, Gray. I don't know _how_ it happened, but he is my friend whether you accept that or not. And, as my friend, I would like you to support me. Ok?"

"...Ok, but if he does anything to you-"  
"I'll blow him up myself, don't worry."

* * *

 **63rd Moment:**

She didn't think she would have to save Gajeel from her brother, of all people. Lightning burst from his body as he repeatedly attacked her teammate. Shadowgear tried to stop him but Laxus… he'd lost it. "Gajeel!" she yelled "Fight back!"

As her brother went to strike him again, she ran in front and created a series of orbs in front of her to protect them. "Gladiola, get out of the way!" the blond ordered, his fists crackling.  
"Stop it Laxus!" she begged, so close to tears "This _isn't_ who you _are_!"

"This isn't my brother!"

* * *

 **64th Moment:**

Gajeel and Shadowgear watched quietly as she cried.

"The brother I know, took care of me as a child. The brother I know, didn't want me learning explosive magic because he was scared I'd get hurt! The brother I know, hugged me when I had panic attacks and stayed up for hours because I was too _scared to go back to sleep_!"

"The brother I know, wouldn't attack a man that wasn't even fighting back!" she screamed.  
"Gladiola-"  
"Want know something else I know about my brother? You aren't him. You may wear his face but I know deep down, you aren't him!"

"You'd fight me for him?"  
"I don't know. And, honestly?" she sniffled "I don't want to have to find out. Walk away Laxus… I'm begging you here. Walk. Away."

* * *

 **65th Moment:**

She didn't know what happened until long after.

One moment, someone bumped into her and sent her glasses away. The next, someone had called her name, she looked over her shoulder and everything went black.

* * *

 ** _Why do I do this to Gladi? A lot of the time I see bad things happen in fanfic but get brushed over, so I thought I should focus on that. I loved writing Gajeel and Gladiola's new found friendship, which made me feel better despite all the angst (especially the ending, what the hell muse?!)._**

 ** _Neuro linguistic programming is something I saw on the series Leverage (which is a great show, everyone should check it out) it's definitely gonna come up again. I hope to use a scene from the show for a Moment, can't wait for that._**

 ** _Super sad about the way I had to deal with Laxus and Gladiola's siblingship. But it had to happen to continue with plot._**

 ** _Cya next time, Read and Review everyone!_**


	6. 6th Explosion

**66th Moment:**

Gajeel looked at the stone statue of his teammate as Makarov and Natsu argued with the Raijinshuu on the stage. "You have a time limit of 3 hours. If you can't defeat us, they will turn into sand," Evergreen taunted.

"Even Gladiola… you're on sister? The one you yelled at me for not protecting well enough?" Makarov inquired. "Gladiola gave up her right to be my sister when she tried to fight me. For you," he explained "The town is the entire battlefield."

The second the battle was announced, he tried to leave the guild and the invisible wall announced "Statues or people over the age of 80 are not allowed out!"

* * *

 **67th Moment:**

The waiting was annoying. Even after Makarov surrendered, the lightning mage still refused to stop the battle until the elderly man gave up his title of Master to his grandson.

* * *

 **68th Moment:**

They had released Erza. It didn't take long for the other girls to be released. Then Thunder Palace was activated and Makarov had a heart attack.

* * *

 **69th Moment:**

"You good?"  
"Good enough. But I have a bone to pick with Laxus," she growled, holding up her grandfather. Gajeel smirked at her response. "Man, I wanna be there when you kick his ass,"  
"Sucks you're over 80," she teased lightly, trying to ease the tension. Waving over her shoulder, she walked out and passed the enchantment whilst Levy stayed behind to try and rewrite the enchantment. The two dragon slayers watched as she began to run ahead and used an explosion to propel herself forward from rooftop to rooftop.

* * *

 **70th Moment:**

She kept running ahead and paused when she came across Mira and Freed fighting. "Apologies… but I would quite like to know where the irresponsible mage that started this mess is," she said "However, I would love to join in if you would have me, Mira?"  
"Of course."

* * *

 **71st Moment:**

The ensuing explosion caused by the two female mages could be seen for miles. Gladiola watched as she comforted Freed as the man cried.

Gajeel snickered as he and Natsu finally walked out of the guild.

"Let's go hunt Laxus,"

* * *

 **72nd Moment:**

Laxus, Natsu and Gladiola fought each other in an all out battle royal. Gladiola attempted to slow him down through explosions, but she could only do so much against her brother. "Stop this!" the blond yelled at her.  
"I can't! I want my brother back!"

* * *

 **73rd Moment:**

The thunder palace was destroyed and then her brother tried to use Fairy Law. It was in that moment, Gladiola did not experience fear, but rather acceptance.

She had known for a long time that she lost her brother. Clung onto the memories of him protecting her from nightmares. Gripped onto the idea that maybe, _just maybe_ , the Laxus she grew up with was still there inside him, despite the cruelty he displayed to other Fairy Tail members. It was at that singular moment that Gladiola accepted that she had lost her brother. Completely, and utterly, lost him.

Yet when the Fairy Law passed her by with her untimely demise… she couldn't help the spark of hope that came forth from the bitter ashes of her memories.

* * *

 **74th Moment:**

"Why did you change Laxus?"

"Did I do something wrong? Was I not good enough as a sister?"  
"Never think that… you were always good enough. You were perfect."  
"Then, why? You obviously loved Fairy Tail in your own way. So why do all this?"  
"When you stand in the shadow of a man… you can't help but feel consumed by it. And the longer you stare into an abyss…"  
"The longer it stares back into you."

Sighing, the girl pulled off the earring he returned to her after she returned to her travels. Throwing it over, he caught it before it hit the ground. "Give it back to me when you come home… yeah?"  
"Yeah…"

* * *

 **75th Moment:**

Fairy Tail continued on with the celebrations of the Magnolia Harvest Festival. Attempting to soothe the worries of all the people after what had happened. Colours streaked across the sky in loud bursts and cheers danced through the air at the display that she used to watch as a child.

A few steps came towards her before Gajeel sat down on the steps of the damaged Cardia Cathedral as they watched the sky. "Y'know… I used to be scared of fireworks… Then Laxus took me to a roof and we watched one just like this together. He told me that, fireworks gave hope. That one day, despite how little we are at the start, we may grow into something large and bright and _breathtaking_. What he forgot to tell me… was that it's the brightest things that fade the fastest."

Silently, Gajeel looked away from her and up to the sky, noting the guild's insignia filling the sky during the parade. The guild may have lost one of it's _precious_ nakama and _family_ but Gladiola lost her brother and protector.

So when she started crying, he didn't say a word. He just placed a hand on her head (so similarly to the way Laxus would, she would later note) and attempt to assure her she wasn't alone in all of this.

* * *

 **76th Moment:**

Team Inferno returned to job requests soon after. Gladiola soon moved back in with her grandfather (the burden and ghosts that haunted the apartment she once shared with Laxus quickly became too much for her).

More often than not, Gajeel took the backseat and would just let her let off some steam by blowing up their bases after the rune knights took the dark guild mages away.

* * *

 **77th Moment:**

"We're taking down the Oracion Seis!" her grandfather declared. Yet only team Natsu had been allowed to participate for some obscure reason.

Then at the last minute the man said "Take Team inferno with you, they are the most experienced at hunting dark guilds at the moment."  
"Team Inferno?" Erza inquired, turning her head in the direction that Makarov pointed in.

Only to see Gajeel and Gladiola packed and ready for the trip.

* * *

 **78th Moment:**

The Trimens had _somehow_ made it onto her list of creepers to avoid like a plague (yes, she had that kind of list. And a list of alcohols she will never drink again. And a bucket list. And a list of things she wants to blow up. She has a lot of lists) in a record time of ten seconds.

She spent the entire time ducked behind Gajeel in an attempt to avoid them. Thankfully, the three men were smart enough to stay away from the dragon slayer that looked like he would kill them if they got into his space (thank Mavis for Gajeel's scary tendencies).

* * *

 **79th Moment:**

It was during the time that the Trimens were hosting that Lucy noticed that Gajeel was, for some odd reason making a cup of tea. And then she realised his steps corresponded with a few of Gladiola's actions.

"How are you doing that?"  
"Neuro Linguistic programming, you'd be surprised at what you can do with a few careful touches," the explosive mage explained, demonstrating with a two shifts from side to side (2 sugars), a tap to the arm (boiled water), pushing a strand of hair behind her ear (a touch of milk), and placing both palms on the table, which resulted in Gajeel passing the finished tea to her.

It was only at that point that he realised what she had been doing.

"Dammit Gladiola! Stop doing that!"  
"Maybe if you paid me back for the rent money you made me lose, I wouldn't have to," she suggested, taking a long sip and sighing "Just the way I like it, thank you Gajeel,"

At that, Team Natsu and the Trimens stared incredulously at the way she had turned the dragon slayer into her own personal servant without him realising. "Teach me," Lucy pleaded (she needed something to get Natsu to stop destroying property. Desperate times call for desperate measures) "It takes a while."

* * *

 _ **Ah I broke myself when I wrote the conversation between Laxus and Gladiola at the end. Poor girls lost feeling in her arms, lost her brother and she feels helpless. Thankfully things start to look up for her after this. Gonna have fun with this quest, such fun. And yes, Gladiola truly has all those lists. Another one of her quirks will be displayed later on as well.**_

 _ **Also for those who don't know,**_ ** _Gladioli were considered the flower of the gladiators and have long been associated with swords and with hoe Gladiola is a fighter, I thought it would be a fitting name. Her character also corresponds with the flower's meanings:_**

 ** _Strength of character_**

 ** _Faithfulness, sincerity and integrity_**

 ** _Infatuation_**

 ** _Never giving up_**

 ** _Honor_**

 ** _And Rememberence._**


	7. Interlude: 1st Monody of Laxus and Aloe

**1st song:**

It had been a month since Laxus left Magnolia and seen his sister. He had wandered around for a while, occasionally doing work for money. He had been in Eucalyptus Town for about a week when he walked into Dead Man's Rest. An old dingy bar with patrons that all but lived in.

Sitting down at the bar, he got a drink and stayed there silently for a little while.

"Welcome to Happy Hour, where drinks are cheaper and everyone is still depressed despite the name," a girl said as she took a seat to his left. She had straight red hair (similar to Erza's, he noted) that was shaved on the right side and what was left went to her shoulders. Her bright green eyes glowed with unconcealed enthusiasm and various piercings (ranging from an eyebrow piercing, a nose piercing, and an industrial ear piercing) littered her face.

* * *

 **2nd song:**

She grinned at him and asked "What's your name?", whilst passing over a backless gloved hand.  
"Laxus," he told her, shaking it  
"Aloe"  
"Like… Aloe Vera?"

He chuckled when she cringed "Sorta… but my last name isn't Vera."  
"What is it then?"  
"I don't have one. Got rid of it, they are _kinda_ useless."

He smirked "You're not bad."

* * *

 **3rd song:**

"What kind of magic do you use?"  
"Lightning, you?"  
"In my family we call it 'Spells of Order'... but I just call 'em Nature spells, y'know? There's only a single user every couple centuries."  
"Cool."  
"It's really not..."

* * *

 **4th song:**

Laxus ended up staying in town for longer than he thought he would. Aloe was amusing and fresh. She was an unabashed hedonist that spent most days struggling between whether she should buy a drink or do a job and then get a drink.

She had quickly introduced him to the mercenary jobs that the magic council had, so as to give jobs to those who prefered to stay out of the politics involved with guilds (thankfully, because he didn't want to be a part of any guild that wasn't Fairy Tail).

She didn't ask when he messed around with Gladiola's earing. She would just pat him on the back and let him brood.

* * *

 **5th song:**

If Laxus thought she was interesting when they first, then he found her down right entertaining when someone tried to steal from the Dead Man's Rest near closing time. She was wearing his headphones in an attempt to ignore the bartender (apparently they were friends?).

Out of nowhere someone burst in and began demanding for all the money in the cashier. Luckily, everyone but Laxus, Aloe and the bartender had left by this point, but his fellow mage hadn't noticed and Chloe, the bartender, was exceedingly calm (as if this kind of stuff happened frequently). He went to start using his magic when the thief grabbed her yelling "Putting your hands up!"

Turning her head over her shoulder, she pulled the headphones off and asked "Are you… robbing me?"  
"Yeah!"  
"Ohhhhh," she said.

Next thing Laxus knew, the man had been sent flying out of a window from a magic enhanced punch. He watched as she went to take the robber to the nearby rune knight base.

"I _really_ hate it when people try to rob me."

* * *

 **6th song:**

The first time Laxus witnessed Spells of Order, he had been on a job with her (something about two heads were better than one. While she wasn't as strategically inclined as his sister, her spells were interesting, varied and he could understand why her family had spent centuries (from what she told him) trying to cultivate it. His sister would have killed to have this level of variety (he wondered how her arms were…)

" **Spell of Chaos: Stinger** " she stated calmly, black light covering one of her staves to create a magic blade like a small scythe. " **Spell of Air: featherlight** " she stated with a teal circle. He watched as she disappeared from view, going at faster speeds than his eyes could keep up with.

By the time she stopped, the guy was bleeding from non fatal wounds and Laxus finally figured out why the local rune knights always gave her jobs first before sending them to guilds.

* * *

 **7th song:**

"I had a really weird dream last night..."  
"Oh yeah?"  
"I saw this weird flap on my skin, and when I pulled on it, it turned out my entire skin was made of paper. For some weird reason, I kept going and before I knew it I lost my arm."  
"...That's a lot more than weird…"  
"I _know_ right! But it's still not as weird as the time Chloe dreamt she ate a plug. She was feeling up her teeth the entire day afterwards…"

"What the hell is wrong with you two?"

* * *

 **8th song:**

It was an early weekend morning as Aloe and Laxus sat in the the Rest whilst Chloe prepared for the day (the bartender was kind enough to let them spend their free time there [read: not bothered to kick them out]) when he looked Aloe in the eye and asked her "Do you even have a house? Everytime i see you, you're here!"  
"As a matter of fact, I do. It was formerly the home, or at least the place, where illegal drugs were once sold by a dark guild. I call it my 'Crack Shack'."

Laxus couldn't help but stare at her for a few moments. "Are you being serious?"  
" _Absolutely_!" she cried as Chloe nodded.

The bartender looked at him as she cleaned a mug "Because of its history, no one wanted to live there and after a while it just became abandoned. Then Aloe came to town and couldn't be asked to find an apartment like a normal person, so she moved into the Crack Shack 'cus it has the cheapest rent in town despite how big it is."  
"That and it fits all my booze!"

* * *

 **9th song:**

The Crack Shack was aptly named. It was a two story building with cracked windows, old curtains and dusty floors (even after all the years Aloe had lived there). The wallpaper was peeling and the floorboards creaked and he could even see some of the leftover foundation of missing walls.

Nevertheless, the booze _was_ good and Aloe was welcoming (even if she did have quite the extensive collection of weapons) and Chloe sometimes showed up for shits and giggles sometimes… It was like being at _home_ … (something he had thought he'd lost when he'd been excommunicated by his grandfather and lost his sister due to his own foolishness).

* * *

 **10th song:**

It was later in the month when Laxus sat with the two women playing poker, betting bottles of alcohol instead of money. And he was losing.

'How did I get myself into this?' he couldn't help but ask. Aloe was just an experienced player, but Chloe was a master. Speaking of Chloe, the woman might have actually been his first non-mage friend (?) he'd ever had in his entire life. She was a native of the town and was the second person in her family to run the tavern.

"I fold," Aloe said, snapping him out of his stupor. Laxus flipped his cards and then Chloe flipped her ones, revealing the winning hand before taking the betted bottles. "We should probably stop," she said, getting up and stretching "Unlike you two, I _actually_ have a job,"

"We _have_ jobs," Laxus drawled  
"Oh yeah? Tell that to your bar tabs!"

* * *

 **11th song:**

Every once in a while Laxus gains the belief that Aloe is similar to all the people he grew up with in Fairy Tail. Then, he's proven wrong in the middle of a job and he remembers that Aloe is one of a kind (and he wouldn't have it any other way, he could only wish that he would be able to introduce her to his sister one day).

* * *

 **12th song:**

For some odd reason, they had come to using Aloe as a distraction (possibly because she: was rash, loud, had no concept of standard logic or all of the above) and every time she did act as their distraction, she was super effective.

Her best phrases were (but not limited to):

"I slept with your wife" (which gained its notoriety due to the fact that the man she said it to wasn't even married)  
"Didn't I steal all your stuff?"  
"Didn't we make out in some seedy bar a couple months back?"

And his personal favourite:  
"Ok, but like, do you wear three belts cus you're worried your trousers will fall off? 'Cus if so, we can totally get you some in your size"

* * *

 **13th song:**

It was in the middle of the night two months after entering the town when the Rest was bursting with music and laughter and joy, with Chloe at the bar and Aloe in the middle of all the pandemonium when he realised that he was happy there. With two odd women as his two closest friends.

From within the crowd, Aloe raised a bottle at him which he responded to in kind before tapping his bottle against Chloe's. This was nice. This was good.

* * *

 _ **Hello all! Sorry this took so long! When I tried doing the Oracion Seis arc, I kept getting stuck and annoyed by what was happening cus nothing was coming out right so I decided to change things up! Instead of focusing on Gladiola and Gajeel, I decided to move over to Laxus and Aloe. Aloe is a non guild affiliated mage/mercenary that was going to be introduced at a much later date (the Tenrou arc) but I decided to bring her introduction forward.**_

 _ **The interlude covers everything that has happened to Laxus since he left the guild and including the point in time after the Oracion Seis arc. We will be going back to the original Fireworks in the next chapter. Also, Chloe's plug dream is totally based off of mine.**_

 _ **For the record, Aloe's magic will be explained in the next interlude, and a monody is:**_

 _ **-**_ ** _an ode sung by a single actor in a Greek tragedy.  
_** _ **-**_ ** _a poem lamenting a person's death._**

 ** _Aloe's spells:_**

 ** _Spells of Chaos - These are her most offensive spells in her arsenal  
Spells of Air - These are more status affecting spells but there are some combat spells as well._**

 ** _Spell of Chaos: Stinger - it takes her magic and as said uses it to create a scythe blade on her staves. It increases the strength of her blows as well.  
Spell of Air: Featherlight - it's less speed magic and more gravity magic and makes her lighter so she needs to exert less energy to go at faster speeds._**

 ** _Wow this is a long AN ^-^;; Hope you enjoyed this, leave a review!_**


	8. 7th Explosion

**80th Moment:**

She was exhausted, covered in bruises and bandages, and off to the side as everyone partied. Too tired to join them. Ever since Laxus had left, she had slowly descended back into the shy girl she had been at a young age.

An outsider to even her own guild.

* * *

 **81st Moment:**

It was on the trip home when Wendy saw her taking one of her pain killers. Gajeel had long since fallen asleep despite all the noise and madness being caused by the other members of their guild. "Are you ok?" the small girl asked. Gladiola just looked up and sighed "Yeah, banged up my arms pretty bad a while back,"

"Would you like me to take a look?"

* * *

 **82nd Moment:**

Gladiola Dreyar had long since given up hope. She had accepted the pains and shakes in her arms since her fight with Aria.

Yet Wendy brought that hope back.

* * *

 **83rd Moment:**

Gajeel was loud, Gladiola was quiet and Wendy, weirdly enough, fit well into their dynamic. Didn't take long for Team Inferno went from a duo to a trio

* * *

 **84th Moment:**

Wendy was a perfect addition to Inferno. Between Gajeel's aimed metal and Gladiola's landmine spells, they could box in dark guild after dark guild, and then Wendy's roar would knock them out, keeping collateral damage at a low (meaning more money for them.)

* * *

 **85th Moment:**

Gladiola and Wendy breaking into his apartment was also pretty normal. The two girls liked sitting around in his apartment and making sure it was habitable (apparently it was too messy)... It was nice… having a family.

* * *

 **86th Moment:**

Guildarts return to guild was full of exuberance and excitement. He was surprised to see Gladiola in a team with two newcomers. The trio was full of a good calm, the two girls keeping the loud, pierced dragon slayer calm. They ignored Natsu and his attempts at getting the man into a fight.

"How you doing Gladi?"  
"I'm… doing ok."

* * *

 **87th Moment:**

It was funny watching Gajeel run around trying to convince a stray cat into becoming his partner. "Mou~ Gajeel, I thought I was your partner?" Gladiola teased  
"Shut up!" he told her, as they walked away from Happy who had asked about the scratches that covered him. Wendy had long since gone off to do her own thing, despite the rain.

He kept walking as he kept listening to her steps. Until suddenly… he heard her call out "Gajeel… What's happening to me?" Turning around, he saw her standing in the middle of the road staring at her hands. Her skin was glowing as she watched on in fear as her body began to lose its solidity.

"Gajeel," she began as he ran toward her "Help me…" she added before she became a glowing liquid that shot up into the sky as his hand barely missed her.

* * *

 **88th Moment:**

When she next woke up, Gajeel was standing over with Erza and Gray running off. Helping her up to her feet, he passed her a small ball. "Take this, you'll be able to use magic,"  
"What-"  
"Trust me!" he said

Pausing, she swallowed the pill dry."Common," he told her, pulling her down the corridor "Let's start some chaos"

* * *

 **89th Moment:**

The two were fighting off guards as Happy swooped in and grabbed Gajeel who grabbed Gladiola and they flew up to the Lacrima. Just as the dragon slayer was about to free their guild, A humanoid exceed flew in and tried to attack them.

The two went off into battle as Gladiola blew up debris that flew toward the Lacrima.

She had resolved to stay out of the fight The same way that Gajeel let her do her own thing when she needed to let loose. And considering how destructive her magic was, it was probably for the best.

* * *

 **90th Moment:**

She couldn't help but sigh when Gajeel roared "Oi! Gladi! I'll make this guy my cat!"  
"You idiot, why do you have such a one track mind?!"

* * *

 **91st Moment:**

Gladiola was so lost. There was a warrior exceed, then a huge fleet of Exceed and then the Lacrima disappear. Even though she had no idea what was even happening, she wasn't t bothered. A perk of growing up in Fairy Tail perhaps…

* * *

 **92nd Moment:**

She blew up part of a dragon. Not something she ever thought she would say, but yeah… She got a leg. Even though the robot was immune to magic, the surrounding air wasn't.

Blast pressure has two stages. First stage, a blast wave generated by an explosion starts with a single pulse of increased air pressure, lasting a few milliseconds going outward, resulting in a vacuum at the center.. Second stage, Vacuum pulls everything back inside immediately after.

Not even the dragon leg was safe from that. She had to use an exact amount or risk everyone else getting pulled inside as well or not have the leg sucked in at all. Sighing, she got to her feet with her knees shaking. Gajeel helped her stand up straight "Keep the soldiers busy, yeah?"  
"Yeah."

* * *

 **93rd Moment:**

They saved everyone. And Edolas was happy thanks to the play they put on where the dragon slayers was evil (which was quite adorable, if she had to say so). Then they were going… home? Yeah... they were going home.


End file.
